Do you just assume skinny people are physically fit just because they’re skinny? If you see a large man or woman, do you just assume he or she doe not exercise? What assumptions about size and exercise are you personally playing out based on your own size and shape…and how might those assumption be dictating what you are and are not willing to do toward getting healthier?
Here is the most important advice I could possibly share with you about exercise…[private_membership circle] DISCONNECT EXERCISE FROM WEIGHT AND WEIGHT LOSS!
How many times have you started an exercise program because you wanted to lose weight? Then, when emotional eating continued and weight didn’t come off fast enough (or at all), you said, “The heck with it. If I’m not losing weight, what’s the point of exercising?” Yet, studies show that a moderately active large person is likely to be far healthier (and to live longer) than someone who is thin and sedentary (Cooper Institute, www.cooperinstitute.org)
What if you changed the goal? What if exercise were only about feeling as good as possible in the body you have today. What if a little movement could make your knees feel better or your legs feel stronger? What if you could huff and puff a little less because you’ve been walking one flight of steps at work instead of taking the elevator all the way up to your floor? What if a little aerobic exercise helped your brain chemistry and therefore your mood? Would it be worth it…just for those benefits?
Ellen Shuman is the founder of A Weigh Out, Vice President of the Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA), Co-Chair of the Academy for Eating Disorders Special Interest Group on “Health at Every Size”, and an A Weigh Out Life Coach, ellen@aweighout.com[/private_membership circle]
